​I've been watching Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", and at one point Quasimodo sings about his life in the tower over against the people down below. He sings that "every day they go about their lives, heedless of the gift it is to be them." In that instance I can identify with Quasi. I have been cooped up in my apartment for 3+ months, following surgery. I sit and watch other people, able to walk, able to get in and out of their cars, able to just take a quick step up onto the curb, and they go about their days without a thought to how amazing it is that they can get up and go. I think most of us, until we can't, just go about our lives as though what we do is perfectly normal, unaware that there are persons who live entirely differently: some can't hear, some can't see, some can't walk, some can barely move, some don't have running water, heat, or electricity, some can't access education, some are food insecure, some are without shelter. It's easy to just live our lives on and on without giving a thought to those who live differently, and what we might be able to do to help them to live better and/or easier.

I'm reminded of the friends who brought one of their friends to Jesus for healing. First of all it's amazing that he had such good friends, who would take time out of their lives to care for him. But when they couldn't get to Jesus the easy way, they hauled him onto the roof, and lowered him down. Nothing would stand in the way of their helping this man to stand and walk again. There are so many needs in the world that it's easy to become discouraged, but like the story of the kid on the beach throwing the starfish back into the sea: we may not be able to help everyone, but we can make a difference in the life of one.

Loving God, we know that you are God over all the world, and often we wonder why it is that some seem to be more blessed than others. Scripture tells us that from those to whom much is given, much will be required. Keep our hearts and minds open to ways that we, who have been given so much, can assist others in living their lives to the fullest. Even if what we can do is pray for them or be in contact so they don't feel isolated, all the way to going and digging wells or fixing homes. Give us grace to be aware day by day "what a gift it is to be [us]".......Amen

​The weather people keep promising sunshine. Tomorrow, they say. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Tomorrow was supposed to be today, but now it's tomorrow. One thing about it, whether today is tomorrow, or tomorrow is tomorrow, one day the sun will shine again. It's one of the beautiful things about spring, and especially April...the promises come to fruition. The snow melts, the rains come, the sun shines, the trees bud, the flowers bloom, the asparagus grows, and the misery that was late winter fades from memory.

Scripture is full of promises. One is that Messiah would come, and after much more time than people probably wanted, he came. One is that God cares for us even more than for the birds of the air or the flowers of the field, and in our best days we acknowledge that to be true. One is that Jesus would return, even after being killed. I'm sure his followers doubted that one during those few horrible days, but then, there he was. And one was that we would not be left alone, but God's Spirit would be with us forever to lead and guide, to comfort and challenge, and we know that to be true, as well. Tomorrow, and the promises it holds, always comes.

God who holds our tomorrows, we acknowledge that in our darkest days we find it difficult to hold on to the promises of tomorrow. We become bogged down in whatever concern is overwhelming us at the time, and can't see the way out. Help us, in those dark times, to remember that you are our way out. Your Spirit will lead us and uplift us. Your promises are true and can be trusted. And when the gray days are over, the sun will return. We will look back and understand how you were with us through the darkness.......Amen.

I'm scheduled for surgery March 12. In researching I have discovered that this surgery is more painful than knee replacement, and has the longest recovery of any surgery. I will have to lie in bed with leg raised for 2 weeks, then be non-weight bearing for 3 months, spending most of it with the leg elevated. If the bones fuse, then I start learning to walk again. Today was the pre-op appointment. I am always amazed at all the things they ask, and all the tests they do in order to know what's going on inside a person. Why can't we have those little hand-held contraptions they had in Star Trek? Blood tests, EKG, x-rays, stethoscopes to listen, and thousands of questions asked a dozen times each. My house looks like a hospital: wheelchair, mobility scooter, two different kinds of walkers, and bars to help lift are absolutely everywhere.

Naturally, I am drawn to the stories of Jesus healing folks. Some of them came themselves, or called out to him, others were brought by friends, and one woman sneaked up quietly behind him and touched the hem of his coat. They each presented with different dis-eases: skin issues, blindness, walking issues, uncontrollable bleeding, deafness, even death. Most of them came in faith, believing that this man would be able to heal them so they could return to their communities, and be contributing members of society. Isn't that what we all want? A way to be in community, and to contribute to the world. Being sick in any way separates you from the community, and as wonderful as social media is, it is not the same as being among other people, or participating in events nearby. So in a way Jesus was not just healing the individual person, but was also healing their community by returning the person to full participation in it.

God of our days and nights, they say it takes a village to raise a child, well it also takes a village to help a person feel both needed and whole. Without our villages we sit in our spaces and draw into ourselves. Today we thank you for villages which support us, encourage us, need us, and to which we return when we are healthy and strong. We pray for your healing touch for all those who are in need, whether from injury, from illness, or even from gunshot wounds. So many have been ill with flu and pneumonia, so many have been injured by falling on ice, and again we are grieving with a community following a school shooting. Bring your healing touch to our minds, bodies, and spirits, that all our bodies and our villages may be made whole once more......Amen.

​On Sunday mornings I have to ride the bus from our community to get to church as I have no one to get the wheelchair or scooter out of the car. This past Sunday it had snowed about an inch as we were leaving, and we drove past the wooded area. Since the leaves are down the snow highlighted the many fallen trees in the woods. Normally we don't notice them, even with the leaves down, but the snow brought them to our attention, and they were the topic of conversation for a few minutes. I have been attending worship using a wheelchair to get around but Sunday I arrived using my new mobility scooter. No one said a word. I even mentioned it to someone, and they stepped back and looked carefully before offering their congratulations. All through the morning no one said anything. I'm still wondering if they didn't say anything because they don't want to draw attention to the machine, or if they are truly paying so much attention to the person in the machine that it becomes superfluous. I choose to believe the latter.

We don't always notice things that are right in front of us. Jesus asked a crowd once to consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. He either assumed that they were items people usually noticed, or they were in the field in which the people were sitting. I wonder how many people, when he called these items to their attention were surprised to see them all around. Some people can walk through downtown areas and not see the persons all around them who have no shelter. My challenge to us in the next few days is to be more alert to what is around us, the positive, the negative, so that we might enjoy the positive and begin to find ways to alleviate the negative.

Creator God, you have filled the world with amazing things, and yet we are so often wrapped up in our own issues and activities that we might miss what is right in front of us. We also have a tendency to not see the people around us, or to not notice the challenges making their lives more difficult. If we don't see them we cannot work to alleviate them, so open our eyes that we might see what is before us. Open our hearts to respond, and grant us the courage we may need to do so......Amen

​In Portmouth, Virginia there is a large downtown church. It's founding was in 1772. Francis Asbury was one of the first preachers. He was also their first Bishop, followed by Wm. McKendree. The building has gone through at least three changes over it's many years, but in its current form you enter the sanctuary in the back, under the huge u-shaped balcony, and the sanctuary stretches out more than half a city block, a shining beacon of the name she was given early: Monumental. The choir sits behind the chancel, and the ranks and ranks of pipes hang over their heads. If you were to walk down the center aisle and sit in the third-from-the-front pew on the right side you would be following in the footsteps of multiple generations of the Watts family. My sister, my brother, and I were all baptized there, and I considered taking my boys back for theirs, as well. I have not attended since 1975, when we returned to clean out my Grandmother's house. It was the kind of place where the men wore their best suits and ties, the women wore dresses, hats, and gloves, and everybody wore their Sunday Shoes. Over the years, like many huge downtown churches, it faltered and nearly failed, but has rediscovered its mission and ministry to downtown Portsmouth and the nearby Naval personnel and families, (and is not as formal). Needing a lot of shoring-up in both the sanctuary and in the steeple standing above the narthex they gathered their funds and began with the narthex/steeple. When we were there in November for my Aunt's burial we were unable to go in due to massive scaffolding.

It was 11:30 Wednesday morning, just two days ago. Inside the scaffolding, on the back side of the steeple: A small spark, a whiff of smoke, a door was opened, and the steeple went up like a candle. Fire trucks from Portsmouth, Norfolk and the Portsmouth Naval Station did their best as huge wooden beams aflame, and fiery embers fell all around, many setting neighboring businesses and the sanctuary roof afire. By 4 they had it out, but around 6:30, as these things are wont to do it reflamed. The rekindling was discovered by TV crews doing a location shoot ahead of the big snow storm. (My Jr Hi Sunday School teacher would have called that a God-incidence). The steel beams of the steeple still stand, like arms upstretched to heaven. The sanctuary was saved, but is water-logged. The only good news there is that insurance may pay for the needed construction. Even now I can't look at the pictures, or even write these words without tears. Their young Pastor, Megan, has brought together all the needed committees, who are already at work, and other downtown churches are offering their spaces for worship. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes she will return, but is in need of ongoing prayers for Megan, the congregation, and those with whom they minister.

God of our past, our present, and our future we know that there are times in our lives when we pass through fire and floods. We know that in those times you do not leave us alone to face our struggles, but walk with us through them until we come out on the other side. Today we pray for all those facing the weirdness of this winter weather that is dry where it should be wet, wet where it should be dry, warm where it should be cold, and cold where it should be warm. We also pray for Megan and the congregation at Monumental UMC as they have walked through the fire and water, and now seek your guiding on how to proceed. In the midst of this trauma keep before them the needs of those to whom they minister that they may not become self-absorbed. A firm foundation has been laid for them, let them build upon it, and be an example for their Conference, and for all of us in the Connection...Amen

​We buried my aunt last week. Her death was somewhat unexpected, even though she was 94.5. She had been a DCE serving multiple churches in Virginia, and one in Chattanooga, TN. She also worked as an interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg after finishing with churches. She was a Diaconal Minister, and was my dad's sister.

I was going to write this week about how sad it is to outlive everyone who knew you. My cousin, her nephew, planned just a graveside service because he didn't really expect anyone to be there. It had been 30 years since she had been employed by a church, and at least 10 since she had attended Annual Conference, but I and her Pastor sent her info to the Conference Office, who sent it out by email. To my everlasting surprise, and my cousin's complete shock, there were in the neighborhood of 30 people (including a retired Bishop) who came out in the cold rain to bear witness to her life. We shared stories and told of the ways she had touched and changed our lives. It truly was a holy moment.

I think about the disciples. Most were fisherfolk. They expected to live their lives fishing. Even after meeting Jesus they never would have expected that more than 2000 years later we would still remember their names. They were just living their lives as faithfully and authentically as they could. We never know the impact we are having on the people around us. Most of the time we just go day by day living our lives as best we can, and do not expect to leave any sort of lasting legacy. Why are we here? What is the purpose of our lives? These are questions we really cannot answer for ourselves. It is up to the people we touch to make those determinations. All we can do is live faithfully, and try to be a blessing to those we meet. But in the end it is nice to know that some of those people we touched will remember...

Loving God, you were there to hear our borning cry, you were there as we grew. In the middle ages of our lives, as we age, and when we reach the end you will still be with us. In all those ages and stages we pray for your guiding presence as we strive to live faithfully, with honesty, integrity, and authenticity. May we touch those who cross our paths with the same love and compassion you would show them. May we see your face in all those we meet, so that their memories of us will be strong and positive..........Amen

Photographs used to be called snapshots. I think we should return to that. As we've been unpacking and doing even more downsizing I found myself looking through pictorial directories from my home church in Ohio, and from virtually all the churches we've served. I looked through the '87 directory of my parents' church, followed by the '94 version. I noticed the changes in those 7 years, but more than that the '94 one brought so vividly to mind the precipice upon which these people stood. They had no idea at the time, but in just a few short years so very many of them would have moved on to Life Eternal. Some would have life-altering accidents and illnesses. Children would have grand children, even great grands would appear. And even the Pastor, way too young, would soon succumb to cancer. But in 1994, as they sat for these photos, these snapshots of their lives, they had no idea what lay ahead.

All things considered I believe it's a good thing we can't look into the future and see what's coming. The best we can do is live our lives faithfully and well day by day. We are often reminded that life is short, so we should take every advantage to tell those close to us that we love them. I believe that's true. But we also should live our lives in every moment as though we might not wake up tomorrow. What changes might we make in the way we live, in the way we interact, in the way we reach out? Jesus' followers often asked when "the time" would come when God's Kingdom would be realized, when Jesus would return, when the oppression would be lifted. In each case Jesus would respond that no one knows. Well, occasionally he'd tell them to watch the signs, but then he didn't tell them what signs to watch for. Ultimately the Gospels tell us that Jesus admonished his followers to live faithfully, and in unity. The same is asked of us.

​ Faithful God, we don't know what tomorrow my bring. We don't even know what the next hour may bring, but still we make plans. We make plans knowing that in truth they may or may not actually happen. We make plans assuming that they will come to fruition. We make plans, trusting our lives into your hands to hold us and to guide us, and ultimately to receive us. May we continue to be faithful in our call to be your people in our world and in your time, feeding, clothing, visiting, giving water, and helping to release the captives from their chains....Amen.

Chaos. There seems to be chaos all around. In my own life we are just under 3 weeks from finally moving into our new place, my 94 year old aunt with Alzheimer's needs to be moved from Virginia to Arizona, 1/3 of the money I need to pay for our new place seems to be lost in cyberspace, and I am facing surgery on a dislocated ankle that will lay me up for 3-6 months. And yet that pales when I look around. Hurricanes, floods, monsoons, complete destruction, multiple deaths, fires, a refusal of the Federal Government to respond to the needs of those in (so far) Montana and Oregon, and the US and Korea playing "chicken" with nuclear bombs. Good God!

There are days, and nights, where I am sure the stress and pain of all the chaos will simply overwhelm me, and then I remember Genesis. In the beginning there was nothing but chaos, and then...God. God stepped into the chaos. God took the chaos and began creating. In the midst of the creative process things can often look worse than before (you might think about the last time you cleaned out a closet), but eventually order begins to take shape. We don't know what kind of creativity God will bring to the chaos that is all around us, but I, for one, cannot face the chaos without a belief that God will use this as a way to make things better than before. It is what gets me through the day-to-day, and I hope and pray that it helps others who are in the midst of the chaos. In the meantime, for all those in chaos, let us pray.

O God, we know you in so many ways, and right now, around the world so very many people need your presence in different ways. Some need the Mighty Fortress. Some need the mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings for protection. Some need for dry land to appear, others need the rain/snow to quench the fires. Some need guidance, discernment, and courage, others just need a calming spirit to wash over them so they can rest. We all need your creative spirit to move among us and bring a new creation out of the chaos. Reassure us that you are there, that we are not alone, and that you will go before us into the breech.....Amen.

I've been watching a Peter, Paul, and Mary retrospective. It is part of the song-tapestry of my life, and I'm enjoying listening to them sing together again. Mary Travers died a few years ago, so their singing together is now impossible. Music affects us in ways nothing else does. When I hear a song, a hymn, or a piece of music that I know, I am instantly transported to another time and place, and am surrounded by people I haven't seen in many years. I think this is one of the reasons that Pastors are often criticized for not picking the hymns that people know. They want to be transported. They want mom or dad or grandma standing beside them again. They want to be in a time and place in which their lives were simpler, and they felt safe and protected. They want to feel what they felt the first time they sang this or that hymn. Never mind that every song was once new, they want to feel the old feels.Jesus told his followers that he didn't come to make them feel good, but he came to bring dissension and division. He came to shake things up. He came to challenge the powers that be. He came to upset the status quo. He came not to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them. To fulfill means to bring a thing to its conclusion. Once it has concluded it is time to move on to something different. Different is hard. Different is scary. Different sometimes makes people angry. Different doesn't feel as good as same feels. Whether it is our hymnody, our theology, or any others of the multitude of changes that occur in our lives, sometimes we just must step out in faith and go where the Spirit calls.

Loving God, we often experience you as a loving parent, pulling us onto your lap and holding us close when life becomes too difficult for us. In our hymns we talk about a rock of ages that clefts for us that we may hide, a mighty fortress that protects us from our enemies, or an eagle lifting us up and carrying us when we are unable to fly on our own. Life is hard sometimes. Change is hard sometimes. Different is hard sometimes. Wrap your loving arms around us and give us grace to face the days ahead, no matter what they may bring.....Amen.

"A wandering Aramean is my mother (and my father)." That's the comment from my sons as they learned about how we're living right now. Most of our stuff is sitting in a truck waiting to be delivered to us the end of September. Some is with us in this tiny little duplex (some in boxes, some in suitcases) in which we currently find ourselves living. It's a nice, tidy little home, not the tent or groups of tents, Jacob, Leah and Rachel would have been in. But it is so small. Two little bedrooms, a very narrow galley kitchen, a living/eating room, and a bathroom so small that when sitting on the commode your right elbow is against the shower curtain, and on the left side the tp roll, attached to the vanity, is jabbing into your rib cage! It is very quiet. We never hear our neighbor, and she never hears us. The furniture they found for us to use is cozy, but I get why so many southern conferences are moving away from furnished parsonages. It's just not our stuff, and it's hard to get comfortable.

It feels like we've gone on a 3 month vacation and are living in a hotel suite. So I guess in many ways we are like Leah, Rachel, and Jacob, except when they moved from place to place they didn't need to change banks, and doctors, and dentists, and auto mechanics, and find new grocery stores, and meet a couple hundred new people all at once. Rachel, Jacob, and Leah, however had to move servants, flocks, herds, and tents. They had to be aware of the areas into which they were moving so they didn't encroach upon someone else's land or grazing space or water rights. But I do find myself spending hours at night gazing up at the heavens and watching the stars and clouds (and planes) go by, as I suspect they did, as well. And when they, without Rachel, finally went down into Egypt, they must have felt as much a stranger in a strange land as do I.

Loving God, when we consider the heavens, the moon and the stars, what are we humans that you care for us? The universe is so vast, and it astounds us that you do care about us and what happens to us. We do pray this day for all who are making their way in new places, who are discovering new paths, who are wondering which way to go next. We pray for your Spirit's guidance in times of decision-making, for comfort in times of dis-ease, and for enough challenges to keep us busy in your name. We thank you for those who welcome us, who make our paths easier, who even lead us to places of physical and spiritual cool water. Remind us always to be thankful for your presence, and that you care for us in all of our lives............Amen